The Sophomore Report: Anderson, Betts, Panik, Shoemaker

We read a lot about prospects and rookies but the coverage tends to fall off the map after the conclusion of a player’s freshman season. This ongoing series will chronicle the successes and failures of the sophomore class to help determine whose rookie season was a harbinger of even better things to come, and whose was blanketed in smoke and mirrors.

Chase Anderson, RHP, Diamondbacks: A ninth-round pick out of the University of Oklahoma, Anderson has shown that you don’t have to be selected in the first couple of rounds on draft day to be a valuable asset. Like Matt Shoemaker below, this Arizona righty heavily relies on his command/control — not to mention his plus changeup. Because he relies heavily on changing speeds to get hitters out, he ends up putting a lot of balls in play and doesn’t strike out many guys. The danger with Anderson is that he plays his home games in a good hitter’s park and gives up more than his fair share of fly balls. He’s avoided the long ball more during his sophomore season than he did in his freshman campaign but it remains to be seen if he can keep up that trend.

Mookie Betts, OF, Red Sox: It’s been a mostly dismal season for the Boston Red Sox but the 22-year-old Betts certainly gives hope for the future. The second-baseman-turned-center-fielder has hit well while undertaking the not-so-easy task of learning to play the outfield while in The Show. He’s shown good — perhaps surprising even — pop in 2015 with 32 extra base hits in 77 games, including nine home runs. He’s also run a little bit and put a lot of balls in play by limiting the strikeout (just 11%). With a little more polish, Betts could develop into a real game-changer for the Sox.

Joe Panik, 2B, Giants: Panik was a first round pick of the Giants in 2011 but he fell off the prospect radar with some modest production in the minors and reports that his tools were lacking. Well, he kept grinding along and reached the Majors in his fourth pro season. He performed surprisingly well in 2014 for the Giants and has just keep getting better and better in 2015 — both at the plate and in the field. He’s now in the conversation for the best hitting second baseman in the Majors. He hits for average, controls the strike zone and puts lots of balls in play. The big misses in his game are the over-the-fence pop (mitigated by the gap power) and the lack of a running game.

Matt Shoemaker, RHP, Angels: A 27-year-old rookie in 2014, Shoemaker dazzled on first blush with his shiny record of 16-4 and 3.02 ERA but he’s the type of pitcher that will also flirt with danger. The right-hander’s fastball has averaged just over 89 mph in 2015 so he has to be very fine with his offerings and, although his control has been spot-on in 2015, his command has not been as strong. As a result, he’s fallen victim to more hard hit balls and more home runs. He’s shown the valuable ability to chew up innings but Shoemaker is probably nothing more than a 4/5 starter at the big league level.